We need your help in Parsley Bay, pretty please!

I am here asking for everyone's help with the habitat restoration component of the Blue World funded Valerie Taylor Prize project on "Marine Biodiversity of Southern Sydney Harbour". Our seahorse hotels have now been deployed for just over 10 months in Parsley Bay but we have not had the opportunity to dive and photograph them for at least 4 months. The four seahorse hotels were installed by Sealife Aquarium on March 23rd, 2023 in approximately 6 metres of water about 10-15 metres north of the swimming net, which is in the process of being replaced with a new one. The approximate location of the four seahorse hotels is flagged in the Google Earth image displayed above. Time permitting, I encourage everyone (anyone!) to get in for a dive in the month of February and report back with photographic evidence demonstrating that these structures remain in place after the new swimming net construction (which began January 22nd, 2024 and included the anchoring of barges to import construction materials), the state of marine growth and accretion on the seahorse hotels themselves, and whether any White's Seahorses are using this habitat as their new home.

This journal post was written by project leader and iNaturalist member, joseph_dibattista Dr Joseph DiBattista.